The Star That Led Me To You
by TheFirstFangirl
Summary: Percy doesn't believe that birthday wishes come true. Annabeth may or may not prove him wrong without meaning to. AU.
1. Chapter 1

**Summary: Percy doesn't believe that birthday wishes come true. Annabeth may or may not prove him wrong without meaning to. AU.**

**A/N: So, as you probably already know, this is for Percy's birthday! And might I also mention that I have the same birthday as him? ;) So... we're meant to be...I'm just kidding, I know that we're not, proven by the fact that I am writing a Percabeth story. But a girl can dream right?**

**"""**

Never in his life had Percy Jackson made a birthday wish.

He thought that he never would. After all, there wasn't a point to it. Wishes—especially ones that you could only make once a year—just didn't come true.

So when his eighteenth birthday rolled around, he figured that it would be the same as all his past birthdays; wake up, spend time with his mom, go to the beach for a few hours, return home, spend more time with his mom, go to sleep. Percy's birthday routine has never changed before, so why should it now?

But, every year, he secretly hoped that it _would_ change.

Of course, he enjoyed the time he spent with his mom and the room he got for his thoughts when he was on the beach, but he wanted something to be _different_ for once.

However, Percy knew that that year would be the same as every other year. Or at least, he _thought_ he knew that.

* * *

I woke up to a soft breeze coming from the window, warm sunlight, and... _screaming in my ear_?

"Percy! Wake up! It's your birthday! Aren't you excited?! Oh, I can't believe that so many years have passed! It seems like just yesterday that you were getting potty trained—"

"Okay," I cracked one eye open, not needing to hear anything else about baby Percy. "_Okay_, mom, I'm up!"

I heard a chuckle and then my bedroom door being closed.

Rolling over on my bed, I stared up at the ceiling. It was my birthday, and I was happy, sure, but I wasn't excited. It was just another year; nothing really special.

I sat up and looked out my window, which had a perfect view of the beach. My mom and I lived in one of the small beach houses on Montauk Beach. It wasn't anything fancy, but I loved it.

I was watching the waves crash onto the shore, when a flash of blonde caught my attention. It was a girl. Obviously, I knew that there were a lot of girls at Montauk. It was a beach, after all. But this particular girl happened to be _Annabeth Chase_. Annabeth Chase, the know-it-all of my high school, Goode. Nobody would really expect to see her at a beach.

At first glance, I would think the opposite; she looked like a stereotypical Californian girl, if you managed to overlook her grey eyes. But I'd gotten more than just a first glance, and I knew that she was the kind of girl who would stay in all summer to study rather than go vacationing at the beach. So what was she doing here?

I shook my head. I was definitely thinking too much into it. In fact, I usually didn't think much, or at all, really.

Just then, a muffled "I made pancakes!" came from somewhere outside my room.

I was quick to jump out of bed and get dressed after that.

**"""**

By the time I was out on the beach, there were already people there, roaming around, talking to their friends, swimming, and even reading... Wait, _reading_? Nobody _read_ on a beach. But, sure enough, there was a girl sitting under the shade of a tree, with a large book in her hands.

I looked closer and realized that the girl was none other than Annabeth Chase. Of course, it made sense. Only she would read during summer vacation. But still. I thought that that was a little odd. It was summer! She should be spending time with her friends!

Then again, I was alone too...

Annabeth was still reading. I decided that it was the perfect time to look at her carefully. I'd seen her before, but I'd never really _looked_ at her.

With her curly blonde hair, tan skin, and intimidating eyes, she was undeniably attractive, but not in a way that drew a lot of attention; she was beautiful in a quiet way.

Suddenly, as if she knew that I was looking at her, she lifted her eyes to meet mine. They were flickered back down and focused on her book again as abruptly as they were lifted.

Since I was a generally social person, I took that as an invitation, even though Annabeth probably didn't mean it to be interpreted that way.

As I approached her, I wondered what I should say. Just "hey"? Ask her how her summer was going?

I hadn't exactly spoken to her before, even though we'd been going to the same high school for three years. You couldn't blame me, really. We were polar opposites. She made amazing grades, and was the teacher's favourite in every class, while I had to struggle to obtain _C_'s and was found in after-school detention far more often than not.

I realized that I'd made it to the tree that Annabeth was sitting under, and awkwardly sat down beside her.

I didn't know what to say, so I didn't say anything. I settled for just sitting, not noticing that I had been unconsciously tapping my fingers on the sandy ground until Annabeth finally spoke.

"Could you please stop that?"

I was confused. "What?"

"That," she said, gesturing at my fingers.

"Oh," I stopped tapping the ground. "Um, sorry."

She didn't respond, just turned back to her reading.

"So..." I started, trying to make conversation. She didn't look up, so I continued. "So, why are you here alone?"

"I could ask the same of you," she replied, not taking her eyes off of her book. Honestly, what was so interesting about words on a page anyway?

"It's my birthday," I blurted out. Afterwards, I realized how conceited that sounded, and was about to apologize, but not before Annabeth—_finally_—put the book down.

She raised an eyebrow. "Doesn't that further elaborate why you _shouldn't_ be by yourself rather than the opposite?"

I didn't have a response for that, besides a whole lot of stuttering.

Annabeth cracked a smile at my inability to form a proper sentence. I smiled, too, because after seeing it once, I decided that I liked her smile. A lot. It was nice... pretty.

She looked at me weirdly, like I was sitting there staring at her and grinning like an idiot (I was). Then, she promptly pushed herself off of the ground and started walking away, book in hand.

"Hey," I called after her. "Wait! Where are you going?"

"Home," she answered without looking back. "Look up." I couldn't be sure, but I was pretty sure she was smirking when she said that.

When I followed her instruction, I was surprised to see a dark sky and a single, bright star. It must have been around 9 o'clock.

"Oh, when did it get so dark? Crap, mom is going to _kill_ me!"

Annabeth turned and raised an eyebrow, yet again. "I highly doubt that she's actually going to _kill_—"

"I wasn't kidding, Annabeth," I said, so gravely that she had to know that I was _most definitely_ kidding.

I resolved that I very much enjoyed joking with her. It felt like I was joking around with a friend. And when Annabeth let another smile slip, I decided that talking to her—even though my day was mostly spent watching her read—was almost worth missing my mom's chocolate chip cookies, which she made every Monday evening. They were sure to be gone by now.

Despite that, I smiled back at Annabeth, who turned so that her back was facing me _again_.

"Goodnight, Percy," were the words she left me with before stalking back to one of the cabins surrounding the beach.

"Goodnight, Annabeth," I replied, still smiling, because she knew my name. _Annabeth Chase knew my name. _I probably shouldn't have been that happy about it, seeing as we went to the same school, but I couldn't really help it. Even if it was pretty obvious that she'd know it, I did not expect her to have remembered.

I shook my head and stood up, brushing sand off of myself. I didn't know why I was so intrigued by Annabeth. That day was the first I'd ever talked to her, yet I wanted to see her and joke with her and make her smile everyday from then on.

I sighed, deciding not to think about it too much. Annabeth was truly a confusing person. I would never be able to figure her out.

I was so stuck in my thoughts that I almost crashed into the door of the cabin I shared with my mom. I reached for the doorknob, but stopped halfway. It felt like there was something I was missing, although that surely couldn't be the case. I hadn't brought anything out to the beach.

I looked up at the sky on sudden impulse, and noticed that the shining star that I'd seen earlier was still there, in the night sky.

I didn't usually make wishes. They would never come true. So why waste the time?

But it was my eighteenth birthday, and there was nothing to lose.

I looked at the star.

I thought about Annabeth.

And I made a split-second decision and a wish—well... maybe two wishes... (the second was my mom's chocolate chip cookies)—at the same time.

**"""**

It turns out, my mom got a little bit mad that I was home late, but guess what? There was a plate of chocolate chip cookies sitting on our dining table, still fresh from the oven.

**"""**

**A/N: This is about 30 minutes late (it's around 12:30 AM here)... But that means that it's the nineteenth now! HAPPY ****_PERCY JACKSON'S GREEK GODS_**** RELEASE DATE! I can't buy it though, at least not today :/. Are you guys going to buy it?**

**I know that birthday wishes are usually made on candles, and Percy wished on a star... but a birthday wish is still a birthday wish, whether it's on a candle or a star...right?**

**This is going to have more than one chapter, probably two or three. Probably. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary: Percy doesn't believe that birthday wishes come true. Annabeth may or may not prove him wrong without meaning to. AU.**

**"""**

The next day, I got up at 9 o'clock. In the morning. On a normal day, you would be able to find me in bed until _at least_ noon.

But today was _not_ a normal day.

Granted, it probably would be a typical day for me if I _hadn't_ talked to Annabeth the day before. However, I had, and I wanted to do it again.

So I woke up early, got dressed, announced that I was going out to the beach, and was out the door in an impressive amount of time.

The moment I stepped foot onto the sand, I looked around for anyone who looked even remotely like Annabeth.

I didn't have to look long; there were only a few people out at the moment, and one of them was her. She was sitting under the same tree as the other day, but this time, she was without a book. I did a mental fist-pump. It would be easier to talk to her if she wasn't reading.

Smiling, I walked up to the tree and slid down next to her.

"Hey, Annabeth."

She acknowledged me with a nod and a short "hello".

I frowned and decided that the conversation wasn't going to go anywhere unless I moved it along. "So," I began, dragging out the 'o'. "What's up?" I silently cursed myself, because that couldn't possibly be the only thing I thought to say. And then I cursed myself again, because I shouldn't have _cared_ that that was all I'd said.

Annabeth shrugged, but didn't say anything. Then, she got up and dusted herself off.

I was confused. Had I said or done something wrong?

"Where are you going?" I asked—for the second time in two days.

She stretched (and I might have stared, but who would know that?)

"Thirsty," she said simply, and then she started to walk away.

I just sat there, under a barely stable tree at the edge of Montauk Beach for a few seconds, shocked and... just because I might have _looked_ a little lovestruck didn't mean that I _was_.

That's when Annabeth turned around, and raised a blonde eyebrow—for _the second time in two days_.

"Well, are you coming or not?"

And who cared if I jumped up a little too eagerly, or if she laughed at me for that? I certainly didn't.

**"""**

We walked until we faced a café that me and my mom always used to go to. Annabeth walked in, and I followed because I missed the place (I would have followed her in even if I hated it, but nobody needed to know that).

Not many people were in the café, as it was the summertime and most that lived in the area were out on the beach.

Annabeth walked up to the counter, me trailing along behind her. She looked up at the food and beverage options for a moment before making up her mind.

"I'd like a medium latte macchiato, please," she told the guy manning the register.

He looked up from punching down numbers. "That'll be two-eighty-five."

She reached into her pocket, presumably for the money that she would pay for her drink with. Her eyes widened.

"_Shit_," she cursed. "I must've left my wallet at home." She looked back at the guy behind the counter. "Could you hold that order please?" Then she turned to me. "I'll just run home and be back in a few minutes. You can stay here and wait for me or uh, go home, if you'd like." I wasn't sure, but I thought that she almost looked disappointed when she spoke that last part.

"Annabeth, it's okay," I said to her, pulling out my own wallet. "I've got it." I paid for her drink, then handed it to her.

She took it, but knitted her eyebrows (and I would be lying if I said that I didn't think it was extremely adorable). "But I can't. You paid for it."

I laughed. "It's okay, seriously. It was only a couple of dollars."

She shook her head. "_Still_, Percy. Here," she said, trying to give it back to me.

"_No_, Annabeth," I replied just as firmly. "It's your drink. Plus, I don't even _like_ coffee."

"Okay, but..." she sighed, still looking doubtful. "Fine, but I'm paying you back."

I smiled, leading the way to one of the tables and pulling out a chair. "No need; consider it an early birthday present. Or a late birthday present. Speaking of, when _is_ your birthday?"

Annabeth sat down, too. "July twelfth," she answered.

"And you already know when mine is," I said. "So, what's your family like?"

Suddenly, she looked really sad. "Uhm—"

"No, it's alright; you don't have to answer that if you don't want to," I assured her.

She smiled. "Thank you, Percy," she said, looking me in the eyes.

I fidgeted in my seat, because was it just me, or did Annabeth get ten times more beautiful right then?

"N-no problem," I stuttered out.

She finally took her eyes off of me to move them to something behind my head, and I slumped in relief because I probably would have burned up if she looked at me one second longer.

She stood up, looking apologetic. "I have to go. My parents want me home by lunch."

I also got up. "It's okay. I should probably be heading back, too."

"Okay," Annabeth said, but she didn't make any move to leave.

"Uh, alright," I responded. "Let's go, then."

She nodded, and made her way to the door, me following behind her.

And I may have walked behind her so that I could stare without her noticing. So what? It's not like anybody would know.

**"""**

I followed Annabeth through the beach, to a beach house that was similar to mine, but was a little larger. We stopped.

"So," I said.

"So," she repeated.

"Is this where we say 'goodbye' for today?"

"Yea," she tucked her blonde curls behind her ear. She almost looked..._nervous_. "Thanks, Percy," she continued. "For everything." Then, she leaned up and kissed my cheek, and retreated into her house.

I, on the other hand, just stood there with a smile on my face. I probably looked ridiculous, but I really couldn't care less.

After a few minutes, I started walking back home.

And, yea, I was aware of the huge smile on my face the whole way back.

**"""**

It was 12:30 when Percy got home. His mother, Sally Jackson, smiled at him. He smiled back, and his smile got even bigger when he smelled her wonderful chocolate chip cookies in the oven.

"Hey, mom," he greeted.

"Percy," Sally replied.

"It's not Monday," he said, confused. "_Or_ the evening."

"I know," she smiled, but didn't elaborate.

Percy grinned and kissed his mother's cheek. "Thanks, mom. I'm gonna go to my room now. Call me if you need any help." With that, he fled to his room, and shut the door.

He touched his cheek where Annabeth's lips had been just a few minutes before. A smile graced his own lips, and he felt the most happiness he'd ever felt in a while.

He had his mom, her chocolate chip cookies, and Annabeth...well, at least she'd talked to him, and kissed him (even though it was on the cheek, Percy still felt like he was on cloud nine), and that was _definitely_ a start.

**"""**

And so what if he liked Annabeth, or decided that, just this once, he would let a wish guide him? It was certainly no one's place to judge him on that.

**"""**

**END**

**"""**

**A/N: Sorry for not updating this in...how long? 11 days? Yea... But I wrote a one-shot while trying to finish this! It's called ****_Even Though_****, so you guys can check that out, if you want. :D**


End file.
